


one hit won't kill you (probably)

by vagarius



Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Future, Alternate Universe - Guns, Friendship, Gen, Post-Graduation, Survival Games, inspired by the first 3 episodes of aoharu x kikanjuu
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-22
Updated: 2017-08-22
Packaged: 2018-04-10 16:44:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4399583
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vagarius/pseuds/vagarius
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <em>"We need one more person for our team," Hazuki continues, undeterred. "And you'd be perfect for it."</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"Um," Rei breathes out again, awkwardly. "I'd prefer not to shoot people, but thanks, I guess."</em>
</p>
<p>In which Nagisa doesn't take no for an answer, Rei has had better days, and Haru just wants to hit his target.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is so different than the other stuff I've written in terms of atmosphere. Don't ask me how it happened. (also I don't know why but I like fell in love with the anime this is inspired by)

Rei's not sure how he ended up kneeling on the sidewalk, held at gunpoint, by a man he vaguely recognizes from his high school track team.

Nonetheless, he has, and there's not much he can do about it.

He considers running, but there's a gun to his head, and dying doesn't seem very appealing. He could call for help, of course, but then again, _gunpoint,_ so that option's out, too. Rei briefly wonders why no one is giving the two of them a second glance, or even a single, very disturbed one. Maybe the man – _Hazuki,_ he thinks – has done this before, probably often. It's also very possible that the gun isn't even loaded, Rei reasons, or the safety is on, or there's something else he is unaware of due to his little knowledge of both Hazuki and guns.

Hazuki starts talking.

"I remember you," he says, "You were on the track team. Iwatobi High School. Ran the last leg of the train everyday. And you have a girly name." He winks. "I don't know what you decided to do after graduation, Ryugazaki Rei, but I play games with guns."

Rei flat out blanches. "Um, why do you – "

"We need one more person for our team," Hazuki continues, undeterred. "And you'd be perfect for it."

"Um," Rei breathes out again, awkwardly. "I'd prefer not to shoot people, but thanks, I guess."

Hazuki's eyes light up, like he knows something Rei doesn't.

Then he shoots.

 

 

 

Rei clutches his stomach as he falls down on the sidewalk, then realizes he isn't dying, or dead, or even bleeding. He lifts up his shirt. His eyes widen.

_But I do have a nasty bruise._

Hazuki is doubled over, cackling above him. Rei scowls. Hazuki tries and fails to stifle his laugh.

"I'm sorry," he manages to breathe out. "Well, maybe. Not really." More laughter. "It was too tempting, I couldn't just _not_ scare you, and the way you looked after I shot you was _priceless_." He smiles with wide eyes. "I'm Nagisa, by the way. In case you forgot."

"I remember you perfectly well, Hazuki-kun." Rei stands up before adding, "Though I don't remember you owning a gun, fake or otherwise. Is this a new interest of yours?"

Hazuki blushes and lets out an embarrassed chuckle. "Kind of. My two friends have always been into it, and I just went along with whatever they did, but I didn't really find it fun 'til after high school." Hazuki pauses. "Also, just call me Nagisa."

"We're not that close," Rei says automatically. He starts walking the way he came, and Hazuki follows. "What is 'it,' exactly?"

"Survival games. It's like an upgraded version of a fake battle where you use toy guns instead of vague hand gestures." He deepens his voice, and dramatically puffs out his chest. " 'The guns are fake, but the thrill is real.' " Hazuki turns to face him, posture and voice back to normal. "At least that's what Rin-chan told me."

After walking in silence for a few moments, Rei finally asks what's been on his mind the whole time (disregarding the time where he was trying not to die). "And why would I be perfect for this?"

Hazuki looks at him like he's said something dumb. "Because you're a guy with a girly name."

_"That's your reason?!"_

 

 

 

As Rei walks home, he can't help but notice Hazuki's presence.

"Are you following me home?" he asks when they're about a block away from his apartment building. Even though he did know Hazuki in high school, and everyone seems to like him enough to let him carry around a realistic-looking toy gun, Rei's not exactly comfortable bringing him home, inadvertently or otherwise.

Hazuki doesn't share this sentiment. "Of course not. I'm _walking_ you home. There's a difference."

"Regardless, this is the first time we've met in at least 4 years, and before that, we were acquaintances at best. I'd prefer to not to lead you to my current residence." Rei pushes up his glasses. "Especially if you actually are a killer, and just have everyone fooled for the time being."

They stop before the crosswalk. A car rushes by.

"Was that a _joke,_ Rei-chan?" _Rei-chan?_ "In all the years I've known you, I've never heard you tell a joke. Ever."

"It's not like you've known me all that long," Rei mutters. _Seriously, Rei-chan?_

The light for the crosswalk turns green.

"My apartment is in the building over there. If you're really that uncomfortable, I can leave first." Rei hears the words, but he isn't listening.

He's looking the apartment building, which he and Hazuki apparently share.

"Oh, Rei-chan, you should give me your number so I can tell you more about survival games!" Hazuki looks over and notices Rei's expression. He's not sure what it is. "Rei-chan?"

"I," Rei starts, voice blank, "I live in that apartment building."

Hazuki brightens again. "Let's walk home together!"

Rei can't find it in himself to protest.

 

 

 

Nagisa does get his number.

(Rei's not sure when he started thinking of Hazuki as Nagisa. He thinks it was around the time Nagisa had put his number in his phone, surrounded by needless emojis, including a heart, all of which Rei deleted.)

_"We've been playing two-on-two, for the most part,"_ Nagisa explains over the phone. _"But since the tournament we want to enter only allows teams of 3, instead of one of us not participating, we decided to make two teams, enter different blocks, and face off sometime during the final rounds._

_"The only problem was finding two people who were willing to join. Rin-chan said he knew someone – "_

"Yamazaki-san," Rei interrupts, as a way of confirmation. Nagisa had briefly mentioned his teammates in an earlier call, the one where Rei had agreed to play with them in the first place. They seem like quite the characters, all in all, but Nagisa _did_ hold a toy gun to his head, so he's not surprised, mostly.Rei also knows that he's pretty weird himself.

_"Mm. But then he said we would have to switch up the teams, because Sou-chan refuses to play on the same team as Haru-chan, and there was no way Rin-chan would pass up a chance to play on the same team as Sou-chan again. All of our fair games were Haru-chan and Rin-chan versus me and Mako-chan. The tournament teams will be different, since it will be me, you, and Haru-chan against Mako-chan, Rin-chan, and Sou-chan."_

Rei catches something, and pulls the loose strings until they come undone. "Fair games?"

_"Well, yeah. Obviously, we've tried switching up the teams before now. But Haru-chan refuses to be anything other than a sniper, and I'm pretty much a full-time defender, so against Rin-chan and Mako-chan, who are attackers at heart, it wouldn't really work out."_

Rei blinks in confusion. "What do you mean by sniper? And defenders and attackers?"

_"Oh, right. I forgot you don't know the positions. In general, there are three positions in survival games: attacker, defender, and sniper. The attacker is the one on the offensive, and the defender is on the defensive. The sniper is kind of like an attacker in a defender's position, since they're pretty much stationary the whole game, but shoot at enemies much like an attacker would."_

Rei tilts his head in thought. "Then why don't you try having Haruka-san and Makoto-san on one team and – "

_"No,"_ Nagisa states. _"Just, no."_

"Why not?"

Nagisa takes a deep breath like he's preparing to repeat a speech. _"Mako-chan likes to think he's a pretty solid all-rounder in terms of position, but the rest of know he's a reallyreallyreally scary attacker. Combined with Haru-chan's accuracy and their weird telepathy thing from knowing each other for literally ever, Rin-chan and I wouldn't stand a chance."_

From what Nagisa has already told him, Makoto doesn't seem like the type to be an attacker in the first place, much less a frightening one. He's reluctant to believe Nagisa on this front.

_" 'Makoto-san can't be that scary, can he? He's way too nice.' "_ Nagisa says after a lapse of silence. Judging by the change in pitch, he was impersonating Rei. _"Everyone thinks that. Don't be fooled."_

Rei is contemplating this when it suddenly occurs to him. "Wait," he says slowly, "If you're a defender, and Haruka-san is a sniper, then doesn't that mean..."

He can almost see Nagisa grinning through the phone, his eyes lighting up, just like they did when he held a gun to Rei's face, just a few days ago. _"Welcome to the team, Rei-chan!"_

He should probably be concerned over how easily Nagisa pushed his way into his life, yet finds that he isn't.

(A few hours later, he gets a text.

_From: Hazuki Nagisa_

_why did you call my friends by their first names before me ( ; ; )_

_To: Hazuki Nagisa_

_You only told me their first names. The only last names I know are yours and Yamazaki-san's._

He turns off his phone.)

 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *whistles casually*
> 
> *pretends I can whistle*

There's someone knocking on his door.

Some part of Rei wants to ignore it, because he just got back from his morning run and he's tired, but another part of Rei is curious, and yet _another_ part of Rei simply wishes the knocking would stop, and finds that answering the door would be the best solution.

He opens the door and finds himself staring at rumpled blond hair and wide eyes. He blinks slowly. His mouth might be open slightly.

"Have you ever used a gun before?" Nagisa asks from the door, somehow sounding both enthusiastic and contemplating. It takes a moment for Rei to respond.

"Well, no, I haven't. Shooting things was never a part of my everyday life."

Nagisa squints his eyes. "Not even archery? Or, like, rubber bands?"

"No, not even archery, or rubber bands, for that matter." Rei's not sure what else to say. "Sorry?"

"No need to apologize!" Nagisa exclaims, back to his literal wide-eyed enthusiasm. "This just means we have an excuse to visit Haru-chan!"

Rei thinks he knows the answer to his own question, but voices it anyway. "Why are we visiting Haruka-san?"

(Nagisa has a way of unsettling people with his smile. As of now, Rei is certain of this. He is also certain that nothing and no one could have prepared him for the whirlwind which is Hazuki Nagisa.)

"So you can learn how to use a gun, of course!"

 

 

 

Rei's not sure what he was expecting, but it probably wasn't a toy gun shop.

It reminds Rei of a fishing store he went to as a child, maybe, except there are guns instead of fishing poles and bullets instead of bait. There are just as little people in this store as the one in his memories.

As he and Nagisa walk to the counter, Rei notes that along with a gun, he'll need bullets, goggles, and possibly a scope. An outfit to wear during games would help, too. He supposes that he could garner the materials from Nagisa, but he'd rather get his own. Self-sufficiency, and all that. The respectable thing to do, assuming everyday etiquette applies to survival games.

It's after he sorts through these thoughts that Rei notices the man staring at him from across the counter. He's about Rei's height, a little shorter, perhaps, and is wearing protective goggles for no discernable reason. Maybe people test their guns in the store, or something. Rei can only wonder.

The man has yet to avert his goggle-covered gaze. "Nagisa," he mutters, "Who is this."

Nagisa runs up the rest of the way to the counter and smiles at the man. "Haru-chan," Nagisa chirps while making unnecessary gestures with his hands, "Meet Rei-chan."

"Ryugazaki Rei," Rei says, formal. "Nice to meet you, Haruka-san."

"Haru," the man says, noticeably less formal. "Call me Haru." A frown. "How do you know my name?"

"Nametag," Rei answers simply.

"He's our new attacker!" Nagisa adds loudly, "And you need to teach him how to use a gun!"

Haruka frowns deeper. "You pull the trigger. What else is there to explain?"

"There's a lot, Haru-chan! And he needs to be able to _hit_ something, not just shoot into the open like an idiot!" Nagisa pouts. Haruka's face softens the smallest bit. He turns away, letting out a resigned breath that sounds a lot like an agreement.

Haruka leads the three of them up the stairs. The room they enter is sparse; nothing more than three tables and targets hanging on the far wall. A gun sits on one of the tables. Haruka hands Rei and Nagisa a pair of goggles each. _He must've grabbed them on the way up,_ Rei thinks.

He watches as Haruka grabs the gun from the middle table and shoots at the opposite target, eyes unblinking. Rei gradually understands what Nagisa meant by accuracy - there is never a hit outside of the bull's-eye. When Haruka finally runs out of bullets, he turns, reloads the gun, and hands it to an awestruck Rei.

"If you can hit your target with a simple handgun," Haruka says, quietly, "then you can hit your target with whichever gun you decide to use."

Rei nods, firmly, and takes the gun in his hands. He points it at the target. _If I put the gun at this angle relative to the floor, and keep my arms steady at this angle, then I should be able to hit the middle of target, assuming I can counteract the force given off by the shot itself._ He breathes in, then out, then in again.

_Bang. Bang. Bang._

He misses the target completely.

_Bang. Bang. Bang._

He runs out of bullets. No hits, not one. Rei's not sure whether he should be disappointed or amazed by his incompetence.

Nagisa's laugh chooses for him.

" _Rei-chan_ ," Nagisa gasps, doubled over. "Even _I_ didn't do that bad my first time." More laughter. " _Mako-chan_ didn't even do that bad, and he was scared of the gun _._ " He smacks his hand against the table.

"Nagisa-kun, I would appreciate it if you at least _try_ to stop laughing at me." Rei turns and gives the best admonishing look he can while blushing from embarrassment. He considers pointing the gun at himself in a display of self-rejection, then remembers _etiquette,_ but mostly the bruise on his stomach, and decides against it.

"Nagisa," Haru says suddenly, "He's hopeless."

"Haru-chan, you can't just – "

Rei ignores them, and reloads the gun. He aims. He shoots. He misses.

He lowers the gun.

 

 

 

"Maybe you'll get better with practice!" Nagisa blurts out as they walk back to their apartment building. "That's how it works, right? Though we can't always use the shop..."

Rei knows this already; he's been thinking about it since they left the shop, without Rei ever hitting the target. He sighs. He's not cut out for this whole "survival game" thing. He should probably tell Nagisa that he should find another member and –

"I've got it!" Nagisa yells in the middle of the crosswalk. "Let's put you in some one-on-ones!"

Rei mentally raises a brow.

"That way, you can gain experience! And if we find out that you really _can't_ shoot, then we can find other ways for you to attack!" Nagisa looks like he's about to sprout wings and fly away from excitement. Or get hit by a car. Or both. "Let's go see Rin-chan! He lives in the same apartment building, and he's _always_ up for a one-on-one."

_Does he want me to get slaughtered?_

He grabs Rei's hand and drags him down the street. They nearly get run over, twice. Nagisa grins. Rei mentally raises his other brow.

_..._

_Yes, yes he does._


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *casually updates fic 2 years later*
> 
> basically i found the chapter half-finished, said "what the hell, why not", then finished the chapter. it was fun to write, if nothing else.

Rin, as it seems, _is_ always up for a one-on-one.

When Rei and Nagisa knocked on his door 30 minutes ago, Rin was in his pajamas, reading, and possibly about to fall asleep. Even so, as soon as the words "one-on-one" left Nagisa's mouth, Rin had smiled, revealing his (to Rei's abject horror) pointed teeth, and proceeded to sprint at top speed towards the back of his apartment, presumably to change. He emerged, a mere 30 seconds later, fully dressed and holding two handguns, both slightly larger than the one Rei used at the shop.

It was an enlightening experience, all in all.

It is also the experience that somehow led Rei to his current situation: in the middle of a park, holding a gun, staring at a stranger who is telling him that he'll take him on and win with just one bullet.

Rin, as it seems, is also extremely cocky.

Rei's starting to think he has the right to be.

He had given Rei ten seconds to run and hide, which in turn, gave Rei at least ten seconds to formulate some sort of plan, that got crumpled into a ball and thrown out the window fifteen seconds in.

(Granted, the plan was something like _hide in a bush and shoot_ , and upon seeing no bushes, he hid behind a tree instead, which happened to be dead and rotted, and some branches fell off as soon as Rei came in contact with the tree.)

He gives up on the hiding part, and runs.

Rei has never been chased by someone wielding a gun, but he knows enough to run in a sort of zigzag rather than straight. It's pretty useless, Rei realizes, when Rin only has one bullet, and isn't stupid enough to make a shot he's likely to miss. Rei is only wasting his energy running.

With that in mind, Rei turns around and starts shooting.

Rin is farther than Rei anticipated. He misses the first few shots completely, and after that, any shots that come close to being a hit, Rin dodges. Rei walks closer as he continues to shoot, but stops once he is right outside Rin's probable offensive range.

That's when he runs out of bullets.

Rin grins maniacally and raises his gun. As he shoots, Rei follows Rin's gaze and finds it trained on his right side.

_If I could just –_

He steps to the left, bends at the waist, at nearly falls on the grass in the process. Rin's bullet flies past him, hitting one of the trees behind him.

"Well that was anticlimactic," Nagisa says, somewhere in the background.

Rei exhales, releasing the breath he didn't realize he was holding.

"Tch," Rin mumbles, then adds in a louder voice, "You fucking suck." A pause. "But nice dodge."

He stands there, dumfounded. "Thanks, I guess."

Rin nods like it actually means something, then walks over to clap Nagisa on the shoulder. _Nice game,_ he mumbles, as if _Nagisa_ were the one he just shot at, before waving over his shoulder, presumably going back to his apartment. Rei imagines Rin crawling back into his pajamas, already about to fall asleep again after the excitement has worn off, and figures he isn't far from the truth.

"That _was_ a nice dodge, Rei-chan," Nagisa says, interrupting his musings. "All that running did you good. Have you been keeping up?"

"Yes," Rei answers, without really thinking about it. "I did track in university." Rei pauses. "Until I dropped out of university, anyway."

Nagisa's eyes bug out a bit, but he doesn't comment. Rei's always been the scholar, he knows, and so did everyone else in high school. In life. But Nagisa, whether because of virtue or because he himself ended up playing games with guns instead of whatever he orginally aimed to do, doesn't question his decision, at least not vocally, and Rei appreciates it.

"I still run," Rei continues, though he's not sure why, "Just on my own."

"That's cool," Nagisa says, oddly subdued. He's still smiling.

So is Rei.

 

 

 

Rei thought he would get through the day without any new bruises. He thought wrong.

After a quick lunch (though it was a bit too late to actually be considered _lunch,_ in Rei's opinion), Nagisa had dragged him back to their apartment complex to grab another pair of handguns, before stomping off to the park again.

There were more people around, now, but they all seem to stay out of Nagisa's way, which makes Rei wonder how often he does this. He wonders if he actually wants to know.

"Go on, Rei-chan!" he shouts, "I'm all yours!"

He stands in the middle of a patch of grass, arms spread wide, then beckons Rei to _shoot at him._ It's one thing to shoot someone in a one-on-one, Rei thinks, and another to shoot at someone so blatantly cheerful and still.

Even so, Rei still can't hit him.

After Rei shoots his last bullet, Nagisa's grin, which had been growing the longer Rei shot at him unsuccessfully, reaches new levels of manic as he lifts his own gun. It's vaguely concerning. "My turn!" he says, then starts to shoot.

Nagisa treats his shooting like a show, and Rei can only dodge so many bullets. It was much easier to dodge Rin's single, anticipated bullet as opposed to Nagisa's successive ones. His aim isn't the most accurate, but it's certainly leagues better than Rei, and Rei himself isn't exactly a small target. Badly aim for the chest and still manage to hit the shoulder, Rei supposes.

Nagisa laughs when he finally runs out of bullets, a childish glee that fills the air around them, and his manic grin from before doesn't seem quite as concerning, anymore. Rei wonders if he'll ever find survival games as fun as Nagisa does, if he'll find _anything_ as fun as Nagisa finds survival games.

When Nagisa drags him off to a second lunch (Rei doesn't question it), he pointedly stops thinking about it. _Not the time,_ he tells himself, as if there ever really was one. _Contemplating existences will get you nowhere._

_It never has._

**Author's Note:**

> (but I'm also in love with Free!)


End file.
